Role
Lead Product Designer
2020-2022
Client
Channel 5
Agency
UIC Digital
Industry
Media & Entertainment, VOD
Platforms
iOS, tvOS, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, Fire TV, Web
Multi-platform redesign with transformative results
The My5 platform, one of the UK's top AVOD services with over 5 million registered users, required a complete overhaul to modernise its user experience. As the Lead Product Designer, I led the redesign effort across web, mobile, and connected TV platforms, enabling cross-functional collaboration between stakeholders, developers, and Softwire's research team. I played a key role in elevating design maturity within the organisation by fostering stronger communication channels between design, product, and development teams.
Initially scoped as a reskin project, I identified and demonstrated opportunities for a deeper overhaul, addressing legacy technical debt and improving accessibility, usability, and engagement. This collaborative effort delivered significant business impact. The redesign addressed usability challenges, outdated interfaces, and inconsistent branding, delivering a cohesive and accessible platform that included live TV integration and improved content discovery.
300%
increase in active users after the redesign
2x
increase in viewing time per session
4.7 stars
App Store rating after the redesign
3rd
consecutive year of platform growth
Problem
- Outdated Design: Fragmented navigation, inconsistent visual elements, and legacy UI components failed to meet user expectations and modern standards.
- Accessibility Gaps: The platform did not align with WCAG guidelines, limiting usability for diverse audiences.
- Technical Debt: Patchy frameworks and years of development by multiple agencies left the application inefficient and difficult to scale.
- Initial Scope: The client requested a branding update (reskin) for cost efficiency, but this would not have resolved deeper design and technical issues.
After consulting with developers, PMs, and preparing draft designs, I demonstrated that a full redesign would not only address existing problems but also improve development efficiency. This shift led to an expanded scope and a reimagined user experience.
Approach
Discovery and Research
- Conducted a motivational states study with product owners to identify key user drivers, termed as "moods," that informed hypotheses and guided design decisions.
- Merged multiple backlogs into a single, prioritised list using stakeholder workshops, synthesising ideas into ‘How might we…' statements to focus on high-impact opportunities.
- Defined content discovery as the critical pain point, aligning with the business KPIs of playback starts and total hours of playback.
Requirements and Ideation
- Facilitated ideation workshops to explore potential solutions, mapping them into new features and iterations, prioritised by effort vs. impact.
- Developed user flows to map out intuitive navigation paths for native apps on connected TV, mobile, and web platforms.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to define functional requirements and create user stories that aligned with rebranding objectives and platform consistency.
Prototyping and Validation
- Collaborated with Softwire to conduct user research, including competitor analysis, wireframes, unmoderated testing, and one-to-one interviews.
- Focused testing on 10-foot devices (connected TV environments), which accounted for 85% of My5's user base, ensuring the navigation and UX met user expectations and delivered the highest impact.
-
Aligned on core business KPIs, including playback start rates and total hours of playback, to measure success and validate design decisions.
- Participants easily completing navigation tasks.
- Positive sentiment around navigation and familiar industry-standard designs.
- Quotes such as, “Easy to find recently added programmes... also it doesn't feel cluttered, programme names are very clear”
Outcome
Delivery Highlights
- Delivered a cohesive design aligned with Channel 5's rebranding, including updated browse rails, left-hand navigation, and genre-based organisation.
- Ensured a smooth handoff to developers with detailed specifications, interactive prototypes, and ongoing collaboration.
- Conducted a retro to identify successes and areas for improvement, informing future projects.
- Conducted rigorous Visual QA to ensure accessibility compliance and branding consistency across all platforms.
Impact
- 300% increase in active users, doubled session watch times, and app store ratings improved to 4.7 stars.
- Improved UX validated through testing, with 95% of participants completing tasks effortlessly and praising the navigation and content discovery experience.
Feedback
Laszlo is a first-rate product designer, capable of leading the design of the most complex project. He was the design lead for Channel 5's My5 suite of products, and amongst the day-to-day trials and tribulations of working on such a big project, oversaw the implementation of a complete end-to-end product rebrand across web, mobile, and connected TV. He is fantastic to work alongside; is diligent, meticulous, with an excellent eye for detail as well as the big-picture thinking.
Shell
UIC Digital
MyBuilder
Ask Locala
Dynata